Superheroes have taken over nearly every form of media. They’re showing up on the small screen on networks, cable television, and subscription services. On the big screen, there’s such a giant collection of comic heroes and villains that it often seems easier to name someone who hasn’t been in a DC or Marvel movie than someone who has. The classic Batman vs. Superman fight is no more, either — now that the greater public knows more than just those two powerhouse superheroes, the conversation has gotten deeper, richer, and more convoluted. And, among DC fans, part of that conversation includes a robust debate centered on the most powerful DC characters.
It’s a loaded question that leaves us with a ton of follow-up questions. Hero or villain? Male or female? Super nerds might even ask you which timeline, but we’re not going to confuse the laypeople by getting into the various comic timelines. We will, however, address the rest. And maybe, just maybe, we can figure out who the most powerful DC character really is.
Most Powerful DC Villains — Female
Rampage
When scientist Dr. Kitty Faulkner was exposed to the powers of the Bio-Energy Actualizer, it had gruesome effects. It turned her from a nerdy hero trying to save the planet to a hulked-up, angry she-beast intent on succumbing to her most basic instincts and destroying Metropolis. This girl had Superman powers and “Hulk-Smash” rage.
Maxima
Maxima is, in essence, a gorgeous, powerful, and angry alien. Her brute strength comes from her psionic powers. She came to Earth because she believed Superman was the only entity in all the universe worthy of giving her a child. He was, unsurprisingly, uninterested, which only made her more volatile. The two superpowers go head-to-head on numerous occasions.
Cheetah
On the surface, Cheetah seems like a pretty tame (pun intended) villain. Oh, so you can run fast and have sharp teeth and claws? Cool, cool, cool. But, like, she can run really fast. She’s managed to catch The Flash before. And those teeth? They’re sharp enough to pierce even Superman’s skin and do some damage. Cheetah’s biggest foe was Wonder Woman — and even she stumbled a few times in their go-arounds.
Most Powerful DC Villains — Male
The Decreator
The Decreator is a bit of an unreasonable and volatile anti-god or a shadow god. He’s believed to have been created at the same time God created the universe. While God “creates,” The Decreator destroys or dismantles (or, you know, decreates). Upon his discovery, the only thing anyone could do was slow him down in his quest to destroy the world, but they couldn’t entirely stop him.
Krona
Krona is utterly evil and badass. When it comes to “power,” it’s hard to top psychic abilities like telekinesis and telepathy. I mean, how do you defeat someone who always knows your next move? Krona, though, goes even further: He’s also nearly immortal. Remember the old phrase, “What doesn’t kill me makes me strong?” Yeah, that’s Krona in a nutshell.
Mxyzptlk
As far as we can tell, you won’t find Mr. Mxyzptlk in any movies — at least not yet. He’s an old-school villain. He’s almost magical in his abilities because nothing needs to make sense or be even somewhat logical. If he can imagine it, he can make it happen. Fighting the guy in the middle of a desert island on a sunny day? He can crush you with a piano falling from the sky (except he probably won’t). Mr. Mxyzptlk is extremely powerful and a bit of a scamp, so he’s for sure a villain. But he’s not exactly evil.
Most Powerful DC Heroes — Female
Wonder Woman, Obviously
Even without her lasso, Wonder Woman is basically unstoppable. She can fly and move at warp speed. She’s also exceedingly strong and has unbelievable stamina. You can try to go 10 rounds with Wonder Woman — but only one of you will make it through the first two without losing your breath.
Supergirl
Supergirl is in every way, shape, and form the same as Superman, except she’s, ya know, a girl. As long as the sun is burning, Supergirl is flush with unfathomable power that starts with ultra-heightened senses and ends with, well, they don’t really ever end.
Power Girl
Just like Supergirl and Superman, Power Girl hails from Krypton and brings with her all the same incredible strengths as her cousins.
Most Powerful DC Heroes — Male
Manhattan
Dr. Manhattan was once just a regular dude, but he became something altogether different once exposed to nuclear energy. Like those Fukushima daisies, he was a bit of a freak but still as super as they came. Here’s a shortlist of just some of Dr. Manhattan’s superpowers: replication, resurrection, space travel, and time travel.
Superman
There. Are you happy? We included Supes. Superman is as equally powerful as Superman fans are annoying. Anything you can do, Supes can do better — and with a sickening earnestness that sometimes makes us want to unleash our tiny (useless) fists of fury on him.
The Spectre
Spectre has literally defeated the Anti-Monitor, which, in our opinion, makes him much more powerful than even Superman. His power is so overwhelming that it’s passed from human to human, just in an attempt to rein him in and keep him under control. And, yeah, he’s a good-ish guy.
A final note for the Batman fans who are mad we left off their favorite sulking “superhero”: We’d like to remind you of something very simple. Batman isn’t powerful. He’s rich. Don’t @ us.
